Operating mechanism for flushing devices.



O. & G. E. KRETER.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR FLUSHING DEVICES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN, 24, 1012.

Patented Jan.21,1913.

INVENTO J WITNESSES Ana/mars OTTO KRETER AND GEORGE E. KRETER, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR FLUSHING DEVICES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 21, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, OTTO KRETER and Gnonon E. KRETER, citizens of the United States, and both residents of San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State of Texas, have invented a new and Improved Operating Mechanism for lushing Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to operating mechanism for flushing devices used with water closets and the like, and has reference more .-particularly to the combination of an actuating member adapted to be operatively' associated with a flushing device, an operating member tending to maintain a normal position and adapted to be actuated by a closet seat, and a dog 0 erable by said lastmentioned member and adapted to engage said actuating member during a predetermined part of its movement.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient operating mechanism for flushing tanks, valves or other flushing devices used with water closets and the like, which can be readily applied to different types of water closets without necessitating alteration in their construction or arrangement, which is compact in form and thus takesvup little room, which renders possible the automatic operation of the flushing device with which the water closet is provided, which obviates the necessity of manual operation of the flushing device, but which permits the'same should it be-desirable.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claim. I

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of ref erence indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wate closet, showing an embodiment of our invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the operating mechanism; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the device.

Before proceeding to a more detailed explanation of our invention, it should be clearly understood that while we have shown the mechanism applied to a water closet provided with the usual flushing tank, the mechanism can also be advantageously emwhich the chain 16 passes.

ployed for operating other types of flushing devices, for example, flushing valves. To adapt the mechanism for such further use, only such changes would be necessary as fall within the province of any skilled mechanic to design. Certain of the details of construction shown for example herewith, form no part of the invention and can be varied in accordance with individual preference and special conditions, without deviating from the spirit of the invention asdefined in the appended claim.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, we have shown for example, a water closet 10 of the conventional construction, having associated therewith the usual removable lid 11 and a cover 12. A flushing tank 13 is arranged above the closet, and communicates therewith by means of a pipe 14. The flushing tank, the mechanism of which is not shown, is of any suitable construction and has an operating arm or lever 15 to which is attached a depending chain 16 which permits the manual operation of the tank. The seat 11 of the closet is hinged at the rear edgeand can be raised and lowered.

Positioned adjacent to the closet is a suitable base 17 having mounted thereon a cylindrical casing 18 provided at the lower end with a laterally extended flanged collar 19 permitting the attachment of the frame to the base by means of screws 20 or the like. At the upper end the casing has a head 21 screwed into position thereupon and provided with an opening 22 through Movably mounted within the casing is an actuating member 23 consisting of a bar having at one edge a plurality of teeth 24 and slidably mounted lVithi'n the casing,

between guide lugs 25. underneaththe actuating member, is an inwardly extending projection 26 constituting a stop to limit the downward movement 01" the actuating member.

A standard or pivot support 27 having at the lower end a flanged collar 28, is mounted by means of the latter,upon the base, the collar being secured in position by means of screws 29 or the like. The upper end 30 of the standard is bifurcated and has mounted between the sides thereof an operating lever arm 31 movably held in place by means of a pivot pin or rivet 32. The end 33 of the lever arm remote from the casing 18 is upwardly disposed and carries at :the extremity a laterally extending roller 34 the edge of the closet seat at the side of the 5 same, so that when a weight is imposed upon 'the seat the latter will serve to depress the operating lever. The end of the lever extends into the casing 18 through a slot 36 in the wall thereof. A spring 37 located within the casing is secured to the entering end of the lever and to a lug 38 of the casing, and tends to hold the lever in a nor mally depressed position such that the outer end of the lever is raised and the seat is correspondingly raised a slight distance as is shown in Fig. 1.

The end 39-0f the lever within the casing is bifurcated, and has mounted between the sides thereof a dog 40 movably held in place by means of a pivot pin or rivet 41. The dog has at the lower end a tapered part 42 .adapted to engage the-teeth 24 as will be pointed out more clearly hereinafter. The

'upper end 43 of the lever is so formed that it constitutes a counterbalance and tends to swing the lever into position such that the end 42 thereof engages the teeth of the actuating member. Within the casing, above the dog, is a lug or projection 44 constituting a stop adapted to be engaged by the dog to limit the upward movement of the lever. The casing furthermore, has therein a rounded, ofi'set strip 45 secured thereto in any suitable manner and constituting a release, being adapted to be engaged by the dog during the movement of the latter, and to displace it from engagement with the actuating member.

The operation of the mechanism isas follows: The spring 37 tends to maintain the parts in normal positions suchthat the outer end of the operating lever arm is raised and the seat 'iscorrespondingly raised. When a weight is imposed upon the seat the lever is depressed'against the tension ofthe spring.

- The dog rides upwardly with the lever and passes beyond the release 45 so that the oounterweighted end of the dog brings it into operative relation with the actuating member -23. When the weight is removed from the seat the spring 37 at once pulls the lever'downwardly and owing to the en'gagement of the dog with the actuating member,

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the latter is also moved downwardly and' ;the flushing device is thereby actuated 'through'the connecting chain 16. As the" dog moves downwardly with. the lever it rides over the releaseand is thereby dis- I placed from engagement with the actuating member. Accordingly, the actuating memberand the chain can move upwardly during the course ofthe automatic operation of the flushing device. 5 It will be readily seen that themechanismis'so constructed that it will notihinderthejmanual operation of the flushing'device, should such operation'b'e desirable. The seatcan be raised without affecting the mechanism or the cooperation of her and a stop for limiting the movement-of said member, said actuating member being adapted to be operatively associated with a flushing device and having'teeth, amovable operating lever havingone amd extending into said casing, a spring within said casing and secured thereto and to said operating member and tending to hold said operating member in a normal position, said operat-, ing member having means whereby it can be actuated by a closet seat, a dog pivotally carried by said operating member within said casing and aving a counterweight whereby it tends to maintain an operative relation with respect to said operating memher, a fixed release Within said casing and adapted to engage said dog, to release the. same from said actuating member when said.

operating member assumes a predetermined position, and a stop within said casing, for limiting. the vmovement of said operating member.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification int he presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OTTO KRETER. GEORGE E. KRETER. Witnessesz',

.J. B. RYAN, Jesus on LEON. 

